Lind's 6th birthday was a blast. By far, it was the most fun he had ever had and his mother had gone to great lengths to always make him feel loved every year. This year, though, had guests for the first time.
The twins came and presented him with new clothes. Lind noticed they were of a higher quality than usual but not too much. He saw the hand of Granny here. Granny had actually given him a block puzzle. This one was complex but did not have the same feeling of the one the old man had given him. Still, he loved it!
It was taken away by his mother when Teyla could not get Lind to try out food she brought. Lind swallowed the urge to steal it back and dove into the food. There was no cake like he was used to, but good plates of meat and vegetables were there. An odd spice or two did not bother him, but the dessert Teyla made was addictive.
Lind was not entirely sure but it was cinnamon equivalent with some kind of berry mixed into a batter. It was then covered in honey. He was sure it was bad for you in the best way all desserts should be. Her prideful smile was ruined as her brother took some of the honey and put it in Teyla's hair. Lind was somehow to blame and was chased by an irate Teyla with honey she wanted to put in his hair!
They were supposed to be more mature than him, weren't they?
Shortly after the party, Lind was allowed to roam the halls a bit with the twins. Lind's sharp eyes noticed the looks of disdain were quickly hidden but they still appeared that were directed at him. He was fighting hard not to ask about this reaction people had to him, but the twins were not the right people to pressure. His mother also clearly did not want to talk about it or she would have.
Granny would be sad most likely by Lind's guess and the only other 2 adults he knew were the old man and Garnt. Neither met him in a personal setting at all now so it was not good to pry there. Thus, Lind swallowed his curiosity and kept an ear out, yet no one spoke of it.
It was finally time to join the other young boys in the training yard he had been working at until now. Lind had been so excited, he barely slept and was practically out the door of the courtyard before breakfast had a chance to cool.
Garnt was still the demon instructor from the last month but right before training started, Lind noticed a handful of other boys were like him and starting out.
"As happens usually, we have some new disciples joining us. We are all part of the Frey clan, thus these will be your younger brothers. Treat them with respect and help guide them as you have always done and I taught you to do." Garnt seemed to emphasize the respect and guide parts of his speech. Lind assumed there might be some kind of hazing going on, but that would be normal for young boys to show off in his mind. He would just be careful they did not push it too far.
The morning went much as Lind had witnessed before. In time with breathing, the boys moved per Garnt's instructions. The older boys were far more smooth than the new additions, but all had some familiarity with it. Lind noticed again that his instincts screamed at him. He looked at a few of the ones that were added with him and saw they were slightly off. He could not explain why, he just knew, but it was not his job to correct them.
Garnt did not say anything but he was looking over the practice as a whole, so likely he would advise only if he saw drastic issues. Lind was feeling pressure again. It was faint, but he was certain it was there. He was not sure what this feeling came from but it was pushed to the back of his mind as he fell into the pattern of breathing and movement. It felt good!
The morning flew by and then a short lunch was had. Essentially they ate where they stood and it was all the same. There was a strange spice in the soup given out, but it was pleasant. The boys then got the leather pads from the storage room and broke off into pairs. Lind had seen this but never thought he would participate.
The first oddity he noticed was Garnt breaking up certain pairs. The oldest boy here was maybe 11 but Garnt was pairing up such older boys with much smaller boys. Wouldn't the older boys bully them at this rate? It was not every pair, yet Lind could make no sense of it. He then saw the pairs begin sparring before he got his own leather pads. Somehow, the mismatched pairs were equal. How could such little bodies compare to the larger so easily?
Lind finally got some pads but noticed a difference. He had re-threaded all the pads long ago and while some may have frayed a bit, there was no way they were this bad. The string was barely holding on and the pad stuffing was ripped in several places. Where had this set from and how was it so coincidentally given to him?
"Just accept it for now, Instructor will fix it." Lind suddenly heard a voice pop up next to him. It was the silver eyed boy with blonde hair. His distinct look stuck out but Lind only saw sympathy in those eyes. "I am Kor." The boy was just barely taller than Lind. A feeling of familiarity again washed over Lind but he pushed it aside.
"I am Lind, Lind Frey." Lind introduced himself out of habit, adding the clan name at the end. Of all reactions, he did not expect Kor to look shocked nor the rest of the yard to freeze. Lind glanced around and wondered what had happened. They were all staring at him. Some were staring in curiosity, but more than half looked in disgust. Kor was the only one that looked in awe.
"Enough of that! I want to see you practice your moves! Remember, no going for injuries!" Garnt broke the strange mood and training resumed. Lind patched up what he could quickly and used the pads as Kor suggested. Oddly enough, Kor was his partner.
At first, Lind observed a few pairs and they seemed to be switching between attacking and reacting. Lind noticed that some of the boys were incredibly fast to his eyes while others were normal. Somehow, similar speed boys were paired together.
"Come on Lind, let me see what you can do for your first day!" Kor was strangely excited but Lind just shrugged and assumed his stance. Just looking at Kor clearly excited made Lind smile, but then he noticed Kor's posture was off. Glancing to see Garnt was busy elsewhere, Lind walked up and pushed Kor's right food slightly out and then adjusted his stance.
The change was immediate, as if a piece had been missing for Kor and was not filled in. The wordless exchange was missed by most but a few boys grew angry. Lind paid them no mind and then did as Kor asked. He put his all into his fist and something strange happened.
His fist was moving normally but Kor seemed to barely move. His body was about to be hit before it finally started to move. Lind just barely stopped his fist before it struck and suddenly Kor sped up again. Lind was confused but Kor looked floored up at him.
"Are you at late stage?!" Kor was even more excited. What happened to the quiet boy that gave him advice? Lind did not understand the question but he shrugged his shoulders to show he did not understand. "I am only a tier 2, what tier are you at?"
That slim manual flashed through Lind's mind as he grasped the point of this question.
"I only started this past month under Instructor Garnt. I assume I am tier 1." Lind was only 6 and a month was nowhere near enough time to claim he was an expert. Kor frowned and then seemed to think of something.
"Instructor Garnt!" Kor's voice brought over the Instructor who looked surprised the 2 weren't covered in some dirt like the rest of the class.
"What is it, disciple Kor?" Garnt listened to what Kor described and asked them to repeat the process. Lind compiled but only put half his strength into it this time. The strange slow down effect still occurred but Kor was faster to respond. Garnt stared harshly at Lind for some reason.
"Go full strength disciple Lind." Lind shrugged and repeated the process only to nearly hit Kor once again. He stopped it the same as the first time and then the world sped up only after Lind came to a stop. The strange perspective issue was only occurring when he put power into his limbs. He did not recall it happening in the morning at all.
"He must be cheating somehow, Instructor!" One of the older boys with anger in his face declared this with confidence. Lind was unclear how he could be cheating exactly. All he had done was throw a punch. Garnt seemed to ignore the words as well which made the older boy even angrier.
"Disciple Kor, you are just now in tier 2, correct?" Kor nodded to Garnt's question. Garnt scanned the crowd and pointed at another boy. "Gabe, come here." Smiles sprouted on half the crowd for reasons Lind felt were malicious. Strangely, this Gabe was the oldest in the class yet he had been paired with a far younger boy earlier. That little boy was a year older than Lind at best but had been able to overcome Gabe easily.
"What tier have you reached?" Gabe looked at the Instructor with annoyance but answered.
"I have reached the 5th tier, Instructor." Lind could see frustration on Gabe's face but he was lost as to why. What did they mean by these tiers exactly? The manual had not been too clear on that, but it was meant as a basic instruction only. Even his mother had said he would learn more as the years progressed. "Have a bout with Disciple Lind."
Garnt's words were like a bomb. Gabe looked displeased but nodded while reactions were split in the rest of the boys. Most looked pleased while others looked with pity at Lind. Only Kor looked worried. Lind knew practice was harsh but he felt their reactions were damned odd. Still, he would give it his all.
Both he and Gabe assumed stances. This time, Lind had no reaction so Gabe had a good grasp of his own body. Garnt frowned at Lind a bit but said nothing. He looked both of them over and nodded.
"Proceed." Lind saw Gabe launch a right hook immediately. It was not too bad but a bit slow. Lind easily went below the arm and brought his own up to bear. For some reason, Gabe barely reacted in time but at least he was faster than Kor. A kick came from below at Lind but he easily jumped over it. Lind felt this was way too slow for a serious attempt and put more strength into his body.
Now, Gabe could not keep up, but again, right before Lind was going to hit his stomach with a leg, Lind stopped before impact and time sped up once again. Lind had not even noticed it had slowed down until that moment.
Gabe had a shocked look on his face that was quickly replaced with rage. Lind was still only on one foot when another kick came flying at him. Time did not slow down for some reason and Lind barely reacted in time. He was off balance when a fist filled his vision and something very odd occurred.
Lind was slammed into the ground next to Gabe by pressure. He could not move at all but the feeling vanished as quickly as it arrived. Garnt loomed over them with rage on his face. Lind sincerely wished to not be included in that feeling ever again.
"Disciple Gabe, you are well aware that such a strike could have severely injured your fellow disciple! If that had happened, you would have been crippled. As it is, you will be on punishment detail for 3 months! Disciple Lind! You held back on your strike, why?" Garnt was angry, really angry. Lind was not sure but he answered as truthfully as he thought he should.
"Disciple Gabe had not prepared for the hit and there were others behind him that may have been included. The pads will not stop a bad angle breaking an arm or rib if hit incorrectly. I am far shorter than Disciple Gabe but I think I could also injure him if I continued." Lind spun some BS in there but he knew on instinct that if he had connected, Gabe would have been sent rolling uncontrollably on that last kick. He could not explain that instinct so he just said the rest. Strangely, Garnt accepted it!
"Very well, you are clearly well on your way into Body Refining so a better partner will be found." Kor looked very sad at this verdict but Lind was just confused. Could Garnt not tell he was an amateur. Brute strength is not technique. Sure, Lind responded to the perceived fists and kicks, but that was just because of that weird dilation effect.
Lind sighed as he got up and tried to help Gabe up but was brushed off. Losing never felt good, and an 11 year old certainly would not like losing to a 6 year old.
The rest of the training was a blur for Lind as he was paired up with another student, but he was much faster than Lind. He could barely respond to the fists and kicks, certainly not when done in combination. The older boy never said his name and clearly was full of disdain but he took the training seriously. Lind learned a lot and had the bruises to show for it.
Something he noticed that made him frown was Kor. Whenever Garnt was not looking, or engaged with a certain pair, Kor would suddenly be hit by outside pairs or distracted to get hit by his partner. No one said anything although a few did frown at it. Kor never reported it but Lind made mental notes. He did not like bullying, not in any way.
"Want to come to my courtyard for dinner?" Lind offered Kor a chance to hang out but a sad look flashed over Kor's face.
"U-um, not tonight. I have to get back, but thank you!" A strange mix of happiness and sadness came through that voice to Lind. Kor ran off before Lind could ply how good his mother's cooking was before he saw Kor run off to 2 girls. They were a few years older but there was a striking similarity between the 3.
Their hair was mostly blonde, but aside from that, all their clothes seemed very poor. The oldest girl looked at Lind harshly but there was no maliciousness in it. They swept Kor away as the day ended. It was the beginning of a long 5 years for Lind.